Becoming a Ninja

by Margie Senechal

I love the show American Ninja Warrior. It’s a show our entire family can watch together and enjoy. And it’s also a show that showcases the best of what makes us who we are. In a world where the good is hard to find, ANW is a welcome respite.

I love the Ninjas because of their comradery. Ninjas cheer each other on even though they are rivals and competitors. It’s all about being the best that they can be individually.

I also love how they train and each year they improve. The first season we watched the Jumping Spider premiered. It’s an obstacle that you jump into, legs spread apart over a trough of water. You have to hop down it using your arms and legs braced along each side. The first time we saw the obstacle, we saw many Ninjas take a swim. The other night, each ninja who made it that far completed it. While I do think they’ve adjusted the width a little, it would still be a hard obstacle for a novice.

It’s the same thing with the Warped Wall and Salmon Ladders—both ANW mainstays. Both were obstacles that in the beginning seemed impossible only to be conquered by one, then two, and now many warriors. 

The community of Ninjas reminds me of writers. 

As the community of writers, we cheer each other on. We promote our friends and favorite authors. We offer to beta read or to critique each other. We brainstorm together and bounce ideas to and fro like a beach ball in the crowd. Most of us never begrudge a fellow author their success, we celebrate them instead.

As individual writers, we want to write the best possible book that we can write. I don’t want to write a Kristan Higgins book, a Susanne Collins book, or a Michael Crichton book. Even though they are among my favorite authors. I want to write and publish Margie Senechal book—the best book I can possibly write.

And then I want to write another one. And another one. Getting better with each one. Like a Ninja Writer.